Rule of Thumb

We have a saying in the English language that speaks of a 'rule of thumb.' It is thought to have originated from carpenters who would rather use the width of their thumbs to make measurements, instead of tape measures. It has connotations of being an imprecise way of measuring things, but it is still viewed as being a 'reliable' and convenient standard.

When it comes to Christianity, we may use the phrase in an example like this:

"It is a good rule of thumb to treat others as we would want them to treat us."   OR

"As a rule of thumb, loving others is a way of showing our love towards God."

The trouble with 'rules of thumb' in our Christian context, is that sometimes human traditions get passed down as Christian values. Something may have been in our church cultures for so long, that we take it as being the truth or the norm, but it may still be off track. We need to keep our spiritual 'rules of thumb' in line with the Scriptures. Coming back to the Word of God is always a better method for 'measuring' things.

What do you think?

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Love

"My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn’t know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can’t know him if you don’t love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him" - 1 John 4:7-8 (Message)

May God bless you as you reflect on this powerful portion of the Bible.

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Heading back

Many people have been heading back to school or work this week. I am not sure how you feel about going back to work, school, varsity, routine or whatever, but most of us don't like it one bit. First days back really make us depressed don't they?

Looking at the Christmas narratives again (.... remember Christmas?) - we note the way the Shepherds returned back to their duties after meeting Jesus.

Luke 2:20 - "The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told."

The Shepherds weren't rejoicing because they were heading back to work, they were happy because of what they had just witnessed. We could be the same! Having encountered the living Lord, our Messiah, we could return to our 'routines' with a renewed hope and perspective. God is with us. We have experience God's love in our midst.

So, regardless of how you are feeling this week, try and remember the joy you felt when you encountered Jesus. He makes all the difference in the way we approach the rest of our lives.

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Win some, lose some

Our Christian journey is about walking through all kinds of experiences and situations. We have to walk through dark valleys, as well as spending time on significant mountain tops. It can often feel as if we are taking a few steps forward and then a couple backwards. To use another well known phrase, we may feel that "we win some and then lose some."

In truth, life will always be like this, we just need to keep proper perspective. When we walk with Jesus, he will keep us focused on the Eternal prize and so when we 'lose some' God will encourage us to carry on. Remember that when we surrender our 'lives' to Jesus, that includes the moments of defeat as well as victory. Thankfully God is redemptive and can turning our loses into gains.

Romans 8:28 - "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Pot holes and Faith

The other day we hit a pot hole on the road, which is quite easy to do nowadays, especially if you live in Pietermaritzburg. The force of the impact buckled the rim of the tyre and it will need some special attention to sort it out again. Thankfully we can still carry one with life and the "bump" in the road hasn't caused to much damage.

This little incident got me thinking about things in our spiritual lives. I am sure that we will encounter some pot holes this year and even a fair number of bumps along the road. However, what is most important is how we deal with these trials. With God's help we need to carry on along the path of faith and trust in Jesus to heal our brokenness.

Jesus offers to heal our pain and to bind up our wounds. May we learn to ask him for help in repairing the parts of our lives that have been buckled and bruised.

Living in Grace
D3LM3

P.S. The biggest irony of the pot hole incident is that it took place in Linscott Road in PMB. Ironic or what?!

The voice of God

Aesop, told the story of a donkey who found a lion's skin. He tried on the skin and then began to frighten many of the other animals. One day a fox came along, and the donkey tried to scare him, too. However the fox was not so stupid - after hearing the donkey's voice, the fox said, "If you want to terrify me, you'll have to disguise your bray."

 We will be confronted by the voice of many "donkey's" this year. Many of them will threaten us or even offer us tasty temptations, but they will not be the voice of Jesus. Listening to the voice of God is tough when there are many imposters, but we need to tune into the Master's voice.

"The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” - John 10:3-5

May God speak clearly to you this week.

Living in Grace

D3LM3 

Turtle or Hen?

"A turtle lays thousands of eggs without anyone knowing, but when the hen lays an egg, the whole country is informed." - Malayan proverb

This Malayan proverb could be interpreted in a number of different ways, but I want to use it to remind us that many people/things/ideas will shout loudly for our attention this year, but we need to listen to the voice of God. The enemy takes great delight in drawing attention to his plans and ideas, but God's spirit continues to work powerfully, sometimes without us knowing it. God doesn't have to shout to get our attention, as Jesus has already shown us what Love is truly about.

I encourage us all to listen for the voice of God in 2014. God wants to lead us into the path of Life.

John 10:4-5 
"When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”

Living in Grace
D3LM3